Make-A-Wish Foundation Helps Seven-Year-Olds Dream To Show at AMHR Miniature Horse Nationals Come True

Alexis Close may only be seven-years-old, but she has big dreams when it comes to her American Miniature Horses. Alexis, who was born with a heart defect and had a heart transplant when she was only 16 months old, asked the Make-A-Wish Foundation and The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto for a trip to the 2010 annual American Miniature Horse Registry (AMHR) National Championship Show in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

“Her doctors and the transplant team keep asking her is she wanted to go to Disney World, but she doesn’t want to do that. Her dream is to go to the Nationals with her minis,” said Tammy Close, Alexis’s mom. “We have never been to the Nationals but I can see Alexis making it a yearly adventure with a trailer full of minis.”

Close described Alexis, who will enter the third grade in the fall, as a “miracle baby” who is obsessed with horses. “Alexis went into heart failure for the second time on January 5, 2004. She was listed on the transplant list on January 9 and she got a new heart two days later on January 11. We came home from the hospital in April and got our first mini for her.”

The mini, Pen Dales Amanda (Mandy), is Alexis’s best friend and the two are inseparable. “She will take Mandy and her two other minis, Pretty and Pie, to the Nationals. Alexis is so excited about it, she tells everyone she meets that she is going to the Nationals,” Close said.

Alexis is now in excellent health and spends all of her free time with her minis and Shetland Ponies at the family’s Long Lane Miniatures Farm in Princeton, Ontario. “Alexis loves to ride and drive and show the minis. At home she pretends to have her own horse show and loads her minis in the trailer,” Close said, adding that they do not have a trainer but have had help from many friends. “Alexis would like to meet a trainer at Nationals, someone who could guide her and make this a wonderful event and help her understand the best and proper way to show.”

Alexis and her minis have already found success in Canada, where Alexis shows in halter, jumping, costume, obstacle and driving classes. With 12 All-Star titles to her name, including National Top Ten All Star and Canadian Top Ten All Star, Alexis was only five when she and Mandy won their first title. Last year, Alexis and Mandy won championships in driving youth and showmanship.

“We are so thankful to everyone who has been part of Alexis’s life and helped make her wish come true,” Close said. “The transplant team keeps joking with her that she really wants to go to Disney World, but she just laughs at them and says she wants to be with her horses. She really does love her minis.”

The AMHR National Championship Show will be held at the Expo Square Arena in Tulsa, Oklahoma, September 9-19. For more information about the show, or about American Miniature Horses, visit www.shetlandminiature.com or call 309-263-4044.

USRider reminds drivers to locate special keys for tires 

Did you know that some wheels require a special lug nut key in order to remove tires from a vehicle? Your spare tire could also require a special key to unlock it. 

Having locking lug nuts on each wheel and a lock on your spare tire holder provides an added layer of safety – and a certain level of peace of mind – by safeguarding tires from tampering and even theft. However, these locking devices require special tools for removal and replacement procedures.

Replacing a tire is never an enjoyable task. But it will be undoubtedly more frustrating if you cannot find the lug nut key or spare tire key.

“Without these special tools, a simple tire change can become a major event if you are on the side of the highway – this is especially true if you are towing a horse trailer,” said Mark Cole, managing member for USRider, the national provider of roadside emergency assistance for equestrians. USRider is in its ninth year as the only company that has ever provided emergency roadside assistance to horse owners.

“We recommend that horse owners take a few minutes to check to see if they can locate any lug nut key or spare tire key that came with their vehicle and make sure that it is in a safe place and easily accessible in the event of a flat tire,” said Cole.

If you have purchased a used vehicle, be sure to check the spare tire holder and wheels for any locks or lug nuts that require special equipment for removal. Often, these items are not transferred to the new owner, and the new owner fails to realize the need for these items until an emergency.

If you cannot locate a needed lug nut or spare tire key, take your vehicle to the OEM dealer to verify if the locking lug nut or spare tire lock is original equipment or aftermarket and purchase the correct key so you will be prepared when the time arrives.

“Ensuring you have the necessary tools will help get you back on the road more quickly during a breakdown,” added Cole.

Another tire-related tip USRider offers is to lubricate the nut and bolt located on the spare tire holder assembly located under your vehicle each time you take your vehicle in for an oil change. This simple action will keep the bolt from rusting and prevent any further complications in the event you need to retrieve your spare.

Through its Equestrian Motor Plan, USRider provides emergency road service to its Members in the lower 48 states as well as Alaska and Canada. Designed for those who travel with horses, USRider provides emergency roadside assistance and towing services, along with other travel-related benefits geared especially toward horse owners, such as towing up to 100 miles plus roadside repairs for tow vehicles and trailers with horses, emergency stabling and veterinary referrals.

For more information about USRider and more equine trailer safety tips, visit the USRider website at http://www.usrider.org or call (800) 844-1409.

For comments about this story or for article suggestions, please e-mail info@oklahomahorseonline.com

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